Renaissance Technologies LLC Boosts Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 17.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 744,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 111,700 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $49,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Oppenheimer set a $75.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 15th. DA Davidson set a $67.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $68.62.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:AOS opened at $62.51 on Tuesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1 year low of $54.16 and a 1 year high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.59.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.A. O. Smith’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.30%.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.